The Mahal Palace and Tower

7/27/2019 The Mahal Palace and Tower

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The MAHAL PALACE AND TOWER


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INTRODUCTION

Mr. Jamsetji Tata built the TAJ MAHAL PALACE in 1903 as a grandhotel that would help restore the image of Mumbai and attractvisitors from around the world.

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai played host to the legends andarchitects of Independence and one of first major speechesrepresenting Independent India was given at the hotel.

Eventually the Palace needed some extra room to grow and so theTower wing was added in 1973.

This historical hotel built in 1903 is an architectural marvelbringing together Moorish, Oriental, and Florentine styles andoffering panoramic views of the Arabian Sea.


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In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site andwas cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of theuniversally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

The 1970s saw the addition of the Tower block, which nearlydoubled the Hotels room inventory and added to public areas andF&B outlets

A few of our extraordinary guests include:-

various Kings, Presidents, legends, performers, religious figuresand entertainers such as George Bernard Shaw, Irving Stone,Barbara Cartland, Douglas Fairbanks, Sir Richard Attenborough,

Baz Luhrmann, Yehudi Menuhin, Andrew Lloyd Weber, MickJagger, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, Jacqueline Onassis,William Jefferson Clinton, David Rockefeller, Robert McNamaraand Lord Wedgwood, just to name a few.


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Exteriors of the

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel resort wascommissioned in Indo-Saracenic style

by Jamshedji Tata.

The Indo-Saracenic style developed in

the second half of the 19th century,combining Islamic and Hindu

architectural styles with its

characteristic domes, arches, stained

glasses, spires, and minarets

The building is a curious but appealing

amalgam of Indian and European

feature.


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Exteriors With distinctive onion domes and

pointed arches, the Taj MahalPalace Hotel combined Moorishand Byzantine design withEuropean ideas

The Indian architects were SitaramKhanderao Vaidya, Ashok kumarand D. N. Mirza, and the projectwas completed by an Englishengineer, W. A. Chambers.

W.A. Chambers expanded the sizeof the central dome, but most ofthe Hotel reflects Vaidya's originalplans.


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Interiors of the

The Taj Mahal Palace andTower Hotel has becomefamous for combining Islamicand European Renaissancearchitecture.

Its 565 rooms are decorated inMoorish, Oriental, andFlorentine styles. Interiordetails include:

onyx columns

vaulted alabaster ceilings

cantilever stairway

prized collections of Indianfurnishings and art


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INTERIORS The interior showcases contemporary

Indian influences along with beautifulvaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx

columns, graceful archways, hand-

woven silk carpets, crystal chandeliers,

a magnificent art collection, an eclectic

collection of furniture, and a dramatic

cantilever stairway.

Over the past century, The Taj Mahal

Palace, Mumbai has amassed a diverse

collection of paintings and works of

art. From massive Belgian chandeliers

to the finest in Bastar tribal art, from

Anglo-Indian inlaid chairs and tables to

Goan Christian artifacts, from Mughal-

inspired Jali designs to contemporary

sculpture, the hotel manages to

incorporate a myriad of artistic styles

and tastes.


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INTERIORS

The hotel was the first in India toinstall and operate a steam elevator.

The hotel imported American fans,

German elevators, Turkish baths and

English butlers, for the first time in

India.

the Taj Mahal Tower was constructed

in the 1970s. Arched balconies offer

sweeping views of the harbor.

The interiors of the Tower wing wereconceived by Dale Keller, a Hong Kong

based Swiss designer who ensured

that an Indian-ness manifested itself

in the new building too with detailing

like a relief panel in Udaipur style,

Tanjore pillars in the Indian restaurant


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ROOMS

In the late 1990s, the Tower wing received a makeover. Various areas were

taken up for refurbishment. Rooms on the four top floors were modernized

with cleaner lines, ergonomic furniture and modern communication

facilities.


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BY-DHRITI SHETH

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The Mahal Palace and Tower